Much has been written about the advantages and disadvantages of Revocable Living Trusts over Wills. The purpose of this article is to provide some general guidelines as to when a Trust may (or may not) be a preferred estate planning document over a Will. This article offers general information meant to supplement and not replace competent legal advice.

We are frequently asked "How much do you charge for a Simple Will?" Unfortunately there is no simple answer. Asking a lawyer this question is similar to calling your medical doctor and asking "how much will you charge me for making the pain in my side go away?"

There are many legal documents and techniques that can be used to assist in the management of assets and health care decisions in the event of incapacity. One of these techniques is the Revocable Living Trust. Much has been written about the Revocable Living Trust, and its many advantages have been discussed in previous articles.

Life Insurance
For most families, life insurance is an important tool in an estate plan. Its uses include:
Increasing an estate ── This is done by adding insurance protection. Proceeds can be used to support surviving family members and to continue the decedent's family business.

Most clients are shocked to learn that the death proceeds of their life insurance are subject to federal estate taxation. They believe that life insurance escapes estate taxes and passes to their loved ones intact.

People with financial savvy look at wealth on a broad scale. They understand the need to acquire as well as to preserve and recycle their wealth; and they realize the value of putting some of their wealth back into the communities in which they have prospered.

In 1953, Sam and Helen Walton put what little assets they had into a family partnership that included their four children. They called their partnership "Walton Enterprises." Wal-Mart grew out of this partnership. The ownership of real estate, area banks, and a newspaper also grew out of Walton Enterprises.

This article is directed to two different groups of people: (1) those who have heard about a limited liability company (LLC) and are wondering if it might benefit them, and (2) those who have already created an LLC and need to be sure they are operating it correctly.